Palestinian Christian Children Visit Jerusalem for the First Time

The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) will bring as many as 1,000 children (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy sites in Jerusalem on May 6, 2005 to celebrate Easter in the place where our Lord was resurrected. This program is part of HCEF’s Jesus Loves the Children program and the Parish Partnerships between Western and Holy Land parishes.

The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) will bring as many as 1,000 children (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy sites in Jerusalem on May 6, 2005 to celebrate Easter in the place where our Lord was resurrected. This program is part of HCEF’s Jesus Loves the Children program and the Parish Partnerships between Western and Holy Land parishes.

The children will come on buses from Jerusalem, Ramallah, Birzeit, Jifna, Aboud, Taybeh, Zababdeh, Nablus, Ein Arik, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, and other areas in the Holy Land. Most children who live only a matter of 2-15 miles from the sites of the Via Dolorosa and the Tomb in the Holy Sepulchre have never been able to pray in these holy places due to closures and almost nonexistent access to Jerusalem.

Journey to Jerusalem – Together for Peace will be an ecumenical celebration of the faith and a call to openness amongst people. This peaceful Christ-centered activity helps Palestinian Christian youth feel empowered to be vigilant ambassadors of Christ’s peace in a land that cries out daily for an end to violence. It will also be a chance for these Palestinian Christian youth to escape the isolation that is foisted upon them by the checkpoints and closures that keep them confined to their homes and towns.

Sponsors for this event have come from Christian brethren in the West, the Custody of the Holy Land (Franciscan), Pontifical Mission for Palestine, and Caritas Jerusalem. Together with HCEF, all the participating organizations, parishes and children express their inherent tie with Jerusalem, its shrines and people, their equal right to worship, and their call for peace.

+ To learn more about HCEF’s programs in support of the Holy Land Christians, visit: www.hcef.org.

+ To participate locally by helping to organize the event or working on publicity for the event contact: Sonia Ghanem, HCEF Operations Manager, Bethlehem office 972 2 275 0093 sghanem@hcef.org

The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Inc. (HCEF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to preserve the Christian presence in the Holy Land by supporting the living stones. HCEF sponsors programs that build person-to-person, family-to-family, and church-to-church relationships. HCEF also supports children’s education, housing, and job creation.